M2 - Military action against ISIL

That this House supports Her Majesty’s Government in utilising the Royal Prerogative to order targeted air strikes in Iraq against targets of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, and of affiliates of that group, and further supports Her Majesty’s Government in making whatever arrangements are necessary in order to facilitate the provision of effective support to the Iraqi Armed Forces and the Peshmerga by means of aerial assault, reconnaissance and logistical support operations. Further, that this House expressly wishes any significant further expansion in the military role of the British armed forces in Iraq to be subject to further approval by a future motion in this House.

Opening statement to follow; please be patient

Rt Hon. Juliet Manning MP, MSc (UCL)
MP for Luton South
Secretary of State for the Home Department
Minister for Defence
Lord High Chancellor

I want to introduce this motion by talking a little about the organisation calling itself the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. This organisation, ISIL, is a contradiction in terms. It is not Islamic; its aims fly in the face of everything that is written in the Qu’ran, and everything that Muslims throughout the world believe. It is not a state; it is a loose confederation of the angry and the impotent, of men of infantile understanding. And it is stateless; it operates predominantly in Iraq and Syria, but it bears allegiance to neither faith, nor flag, nor family. It is the ultimate expression of fundamentalist Salafism, an ideology rooted in the past and wholly antithetical to the present and future. ISIL’s teachings are that women deserve little more than to live in sexual slavery; that ethno-religious groups which do not subscribe to the ISIL world-view ought to be extinguished; and that freedom, liberty and justice are inherently evil ideas, belonging only to those they call the infidels.

And they are wrong to speak of us in those terms. Because our fidelity as Britons and as citizens of the free world is unflinching and unrivalled. We are committed with great love and affection to the idea of liberty and equality. And we are filled with love for the sanctity of life, and the preservation of the innocent: the civilians, the women and children who ISIL seek to extinguish.

We understand that ISIL systematically targets non-Arab and non-Sunni Muslim communities, killing or abducting hundreds of individuals and forcing others to flee. There is evidence that ISIL is targeting the minority Alawite sect, taking the lead in assaults against Alawite villages in the Latakia Governorate in August of last year.

And let us be clear about the very real security risk posed by ISIL and its affiliates. ISIL forces are now, in Iraq, rapidly approaching the governorates of Nineveh, Kirkuk, Saladin and Diyala. The Iraqi armed forces have already lost two divisions in defending their territory. Should ISIL succeed in gaining further territory inside Iraq, the risk becomes credible of a viable new rogue state establishing itself in the middle east. Already, British and American military equipment has been stolen from Iraqi caches by ISIL fighters, equipping the Jihadists for a more comprehensive and sustained battle. ISIL poses a real and credible risk to the democratic government of Iraq, and could feasibly become the dominant force in Syria, and were that risk to be realised, we would face the nightmare scenario of a state on the very frontiers of Europe with the intention and the means to disrupt and destroy our way of life.

This eventuality must be guarded against. And so, by and with the consent of the Iraqi government, this government’s proposal is to embark on a limited military intervention against ISIL in Iraq. The motion before the House today will enable the government to order targeted aerial strikes against ISIL and its allies, which can be achieved at a minimal risk to the safety of British service personnel via the use of ten MQ-9 Reaper UAVs operated by No. 13 and No. 39 squadrons Royal Air Force. Our vision is to provide aerial assault, reconnaissance, aid and logistical support to the Iraqi armed forces on the ground.

I want to be very clear about what this motion would not allow. This motion does not offer support to the government in putting troops on the ground, nor does it support the government in extending aerial operations into Syria, where the situation is clearly infinitely more complex. The motion makes clear that any significant change in the role of the British armed forces should be subject to a second amendable motion, and will be taken by the government in the spirit of our intentions to bring to the House a bill limiting the use of the Royal Prerogative in foreign affairs to be subject to the approval of the House of Commons.

Mr Speaker, the Royal Air Force are ready now. If this motion is passed by the House, airstrikes can begin in the next few days. If this motion is rejected by the House, my commitment is that an equivalent motion cannot and will not be brought before the House again unless there is a significant change in circumstances on the ground. So this is the House’s first and only chance right now to authorise action against ISIL. Failure to act would be a show of the most profound weakness, and my belief is that the consequences of doing nothing will be more vast than we can, even now, possibly imagine.

I therefore urge members on all sides of the House to vote with the government tonight, and say this: if you choose to be neutral in a situation of oppression, you have chosen the side of the oppressor.

Mr Speaker, I commend this motion to the House.

Rt Hon. Juliet Manning MP, MSc (UCL)
MP for Luton South
Secretary of State for the Home Department
Minister for Defence
Lord High Chancellor

Allow me to first thank the Rt. Hon Home Secretary for bringing this motion before the House. This is a critical issue facing both Britain and the entire global community, and should be of paramount important to this House and Her Majesty's government. While it is no surprise to anyone here today that I consider myself in opposition to the vast majority of the policies presented by those in the government, it is with complete sincerity when I say that I am appreciative to see the Home Secretary taking this matter so seriously.

This motion has my support, and I encourage my colleagues on this side of the House to offer it theirs as well. The matter before is not a partisan one, it is not a matter of left and right. Here we are presented with a very simple decision, choosing between what is right and what is wrong. The contrast between thee two options available could not be more stark; we can either do the right thing and come to the aid of innocent people living in constant fear, or we can fail to upload our duty as a leading global force for good and allow evil to reign unchecked. I know which choice I will be making.

Britain must join the international coalition created to degrade and destroy ISIL. Through targeted airstrikes, used in tandem with our NATO and Western allies, Britain will play a vital role in preventing ISIL's spread and undermining their ability to wreak havoc across the Middle East. The United Kingdom is blessed to have one of the strongest armed forces in the world; the ability and sense of duty espoused by Britain's servicemen and women are the envy of the world. Our involvement in this conflict will have a tangible and meaningful impact in guaranteeing the annihilation of ISIL. We have the capacity to do so much good, and we must not turn that opportunity down.

ISIL presents an imminent threat both to the people of Iraq and neighboring Middle Eastern nations, and to the security and safety of The United Kingdom and the British people. They aim to create an Islamic caliphate, bastardizing the Muslim faith in order to create a new state run by an oppressive dictator, built upon violence and murder, and used to deny free people of their God given individual rights. They have already proven they will stop at nothing in order to create this caliphate, murdering thousands and destroying peaceful communities. Their's is a movement born from violence and dedicated to destruction, and they stand in opposition to everything Britons believe and hold dear.

As we've learned from tyrants in the past, we know that if we allow ISIL to build their caliphate unchecked, the evil they spread will not stop there. The terrorist group is dedicated to the total destruction of the Western world and of the values of freedom and democracy that we espouse. They encourage blind hatred towards Britain, and their motivation is to disrupt and undermine the everyday lives of British people. They will do everything in their power to harm our country and our allies, and their caliphate will become the epicenter of terrorism, providing terrorist groups with a safe place from which to train and plan future attacks. Like a virus, the hate and terror they spew will never stop until ISIL is fully eradicated. It is unquestionably in Britain's interest to play a leading role in the process to eradicate them.

Britain must play a leading role in global conflicts, because when Britain leads the entire world is better off. The British people we all work to represent deserve to live life free from the threat of terrorism and violence, an aspiration that cannot be achieved if an organization committed to our people's demise is permitted to continue to exist. The people of the Middle East, good people who we are united with through our common bond of humanity, deserve to receive the help we would hope they would provide to us if roles were reversed. ISIL does not simply present a threat to those who stand in their immediate path. This terrorist organization is a legitimate threat to our way of life, to the fundamental values of freedom and liberty that we espouse, and to the democratic institutions that protect them. It is right, and it is consistent with who we are as The United Kingdom, to support this motion and to play an active role in fighting for the sort of world we believe in.

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